RAW After Mania (March 24th, 1997) – The Rebuilding Process

Well, it’s the night after Wrestlemania 13, featuring one of – if not THE – best Wrestlemania match in the history of the event… and also Undertaker beat Sid for the title.

1997 was the year that began the rebuilding process for the WWF, taking the promotion from a money-losing entity relying on cartoonish gimmicks to a multi-million dollar empire producing edgier content appealing the teenaged anti-establishment audience that dominated much of the 1990s. This was the first step in forging this new direction.

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WWE Money In The Bank 2020

Yeah, so… I watched this show… and then I did a recording on this show… and now here’s a write-up on this show… which hasn’t changed much from the recording on Monday. For context, the main event was a filmed segment where both men and women fought through Titan Towers – WWE’s old headquarters – to reach the roof where the two briefcases reside.

I wasn’t a big fan of this show, but to be fair, it was a fairly short show, ending after two and a half hours of action. So that’s less bad stuff to deal with, but is it really all that bad?

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RAW After Mania (April 1st, 1996) – Picking Things Up…

The night after Wrestlemania 12, where the boyhood dream came true for Shawn Michaels as he defeated Bret “Hitman” Hart to win his first WWF World championship.

We begin the show with the debut of the deranged Mankind; a large, lumbering fellow in a brown leather mask and brown outfit, coming out to ominous spooky music, pulling off his own hair, and making short work of Bob Holly with his signature Mandible Claw nerve hold, upon which a soothing piano piece places in lieu of the earlier music. Yes, they took the former Cactus Jack from ECW and WCW and turned him into a deranged individual in a mask, but that didn’t stop some fans from chanting “He’s HARDCORE!” This was a simple yet striking introduction to a new face and I’d love to have been sitting in the crowd in 1996, gauging reactions to this person, wondering if they had any clue where he’d end up down the line.

Then we have another debut; the “Wildman” Marc Mero, formerly Johnny B. Badd of WCW fame, making short work of Isaac Yankem DDS despite interference from He Of The Three Hs. He Of The Three Hs and Wildman had an altercation because Hunter got squashed by Warrior at Mania and treated his valet like poop… and so the valet joined Wildman, stuck with him for a few years before posing for Playboy, leaving the WWF and eventually wrestling for good… and ended up marrying Brock Lesnar… so that was a thing.

The Bodydonnas beat Barry Horowitz and the guy with the jock strap on his head… and then we got a promo from HBK, where he refers to fans as his KLIQ… or something. That was lame even back in my VHS watching days. And then Undertaker beats some cowboy guy before getting destroyed by Mankind, kicking off that feud that would be on and off for several years.

This show was a thing mostly for the historical significance, but it’s a fun watch regardless, with only Shawn’s limp dick promo being the only sour spot.